A Fine Collection of Medals to Officers Who Died During The Two World Wars

Pair: Second Lieutenant (Pilot) J. R. B. Savage, No. 25 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps, killed in aerial combat on 18 June 1916, at the age of 17, the last victim of Max Immelmann, the so called ‘Eagle of Lille’

British War and Victory Medals (2. Lieut.) with card box of isssue, nearly extremely fine (2) £800-1000

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Fine Collection of Medals to Officers Who Died During The Two World Wars.

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John Raymond Boscawen Savage was born at Bradford on 3 August 1898, and educated at Winchester and Oundle College. He joined the R.F.C. on his 17th birthday, receiving his pilots certificate on 18 October 1915, his wings on 3 February 1916, and being sent to the front the following month. He was killed in aerial combat on 18 June 1916, in a dog fight with the legendary German air ace Max Immelmann. In this action Savage was mortally wounded, being forced to land his plane behind German lines, he died soon afterwards, and his Observer was taken prisoner. At the time of his death he was still only 17 years of age, being six weeks short of his eighteenth birthday. Second Lieutenant Savage is buried at Bully-Grenay Communal Cemetery, France.

He was the last victim of Max Immelmann, who himself lost his life in the same dog fight. Whilst the shooting down of Savage’s plane was at the time, officially accredited to another air ace, Ltn. M. Mulzer, due most probably to the fact that Immelmann was not alive to make the claim himself. All the printed sources available concur that in fact Immelmann was responsible, and that Mulzer merely followed the distressed plane down to where it force landed.

The following is extracted from Max Immelmann, The Eagle of Lille, by his brother, Franz Immelmann: ‘... A report comes in that seven Englishmen are crossing the lines near Sallaumines. It is followed by another, which states that Lieutenants Mulzer and Osterreicher are involved in a severe fight against odds.

The car is soon ready, and my brother and little Heinemann reach the aerodrome just as the third Fokker of the patrol is climbing skyward... Brother Max is the last to go up... He reaches 2,000 metres over Loos, turns back to the front and then towards Douai. Before him, but about 500 metres above his head, he sees the seven Englishmen, while somewhere above Henin-Lietard the other couple are getting into position to attack the other group of three Englishmen. But the German anti-aircraft guns are still blazing away at this last group of five machines, apparently on the assumption that the Fokkers have not yet climbed to the enemy’s height.

When he approaches the group, which is now engaged in a battle of turns, he fires a white signal light, which is the well known sign to the artillery that they must cease fire because they are endangering German machines. Then he climbs above the enemy in a wide turn and dives on to one of the Englishmen.

Continuous fire from both barrels induces the Vickers to make for the front in a steep dive. Meanwhile two machines detach themselves from the north-eastern group; one is a Vickers which hopes to relieve the comrade by diving on to the German who is renewing his attack and the other a Fokker (Lieutenant Mulzer). The two other Fokker pilots (Sergeant Prehn and Corporal Heinemann) believing their dour Staffel-Leader to be in danger from the diving Vickers, draw off from their opponents. Prehn succeeds in engaging the new foe, leaving his Staffel-Leader free to deal with his original opponent.

But at this moment Heinemann cruises unmolested over the scene, and his eyes take in the following event: While Prehn is exchanging shots with the new Vickers, the Staffel-Leader closes up with his Englishman, who heels over and falls headlong a few seconds later. Heinemann sees Immelmann follow the enemy down in his steep glide, and now another Fokker hurtles past Immelmann and pursues the Vickers to the depths. It is Lieutenant Mulzer, whom lack of petrol has compelled to land, and so he accompanies the Vickers earthward to prevent the possibility of an escape across the lines.

The Englishman puts his Vickers down smoothly on a meadow close to Lens. My brother has taken good aim at his last victim, as the numerous hits on the machine testify. The pilot has been wounded in the shoulder, and considerable loss of blood has induced him to make the speediest possible landing.’

It was immediately after this that Immelmann himself became a victim. He was claimed by another 25 Squadron crew, 2nd Lieut. McCubbin and Cpl Waller, however his machine was seen to disintegrate and it is thought likely that he was in fact the victim of one of the greatest technical shortcomings of the Fokker. The official German report on his death concluded that he had shot off his own propeller.

See Lot 1194 for the medals to his father.